1. Field of the Disclosure
The present invention relates generally to electrophotographic image forming devices and more particularly to a cam driven reciprocating toner agitator.
2. Description of the Related Art
During the electrophotographic printing process, an electrically charged rotating photoconductive drum is selectively exposed to a laser beam. The areas of the photoconductive drum exposed to the laser beam are discharged creating an electrostatic latent image of a page to be printed on the photoconductive drum. Toner particles are then electrostatically picked up by the latent image on the photoconductive drum creating a toned image on the photoconductive drum. The toned image is transferred to the print media (e.g., paper) either directly by the photoconductive drum in a one-step transfer system or indirectly by an intermediate transfer member in a two-step transfer system. The toner is then fused to the media using heat and pressure to complete the print. Not all of the toner picked up by the photoconductive drum is transferred to the print media or intermediate transfer member due to inefficiencies in the image transfer process. Residual toner left on the photoconductive drum after the photoconductive drum has contacted the print media or intermediate transfer member is removed before the next image is formed in order to avoid contamination of the next image. For this purpose, a cleaner blade or a cleaner brush in contact with the photoconductive drum (and, in a two-step transfer system, the intermediate transfer member) removes the residual toner from its surface.
The residual toner removed by the cleaner blade or cleaner brush is typically stored in a reservoir of a waste toner container that is replaced periodically when it fills with toner in order to accommodate additional waste toner. Similarly, the image forming device's toner supply is typically stored in reservoirs of one or more units that are replaced periodically in order to continue to provide toner to the image forming device for printing. The reservoirs that store fresh toner and waste toner include agitators that fluff and mix the toner in the reservoir to prevent it from clumping and to distribute the toner more evenly throughout the reservoir.